Rapid Fire: 2010-08-31

French defense industry needs to be rationalized, which includes reducing government funding for defense R&D and encouraging aerospace supplier Safran and defense electronics firm Thales to swap assets, says French defense minister.

President Obama pledges renewed effort to reform the US export control regime for defense and high-tech goods, including consolidating the Commerce Department’s Commerce Control List and the State Department’s U.S. Munitions List.

USAF awards a 5-year client computing/server (CCS) blanket purchase agreement (FA8771-10-A-0601) worth up to $800 million to HP to provide business desktops and notebook computers, as well as servers and storage.